TV WEEK sat down with the MasterChef Australia top six to see what they will be doing after the cooking series finishes.
‘I can’t wait to get married!’ – Karlie Verkerk, 26, Sydney
Are they wedding bells we hear? When Karlie Verkerk leaves the competition there’s one person she can’t wait to be reunited with – her boyfriend Adam.
The Sydney couple have been dating for the past nine years and have their own home together in the eastern suburbs.
“He’s been really supportive of my talents and has always pushed me further,” Karlie says. “Being away from Adam has been extremely difficult. This is the longest time we’ve ever had apart.”
While the couple isn’t engaged yet, Karlie hints it could soon be on the cards.
“Maybe in the near future,” she says.
“Adam turned 30 recently and he said he was never going to get married before he was 30. So now I’m like, ‘what’s happening?.”
‘I want to be on TV’ – Diana Chan, 29, Melbourne
With the end in sight, Diana Chan is already drawing up plans for her next big career move.
“Ultimately, I would love to have a food and travel show,” the Melbourne accountant reveals.
And it wouldn’t be the first time Diana had appeared on screen.
“I had my five seconds of fame when I was an extra on City Homicide,” she laughs.
If a media career doesn’t pan out, Diana wants to focus on opening her own restaurant.
“You just need to have a plan and think of ways to find income and set things up,” she says. “There are lots to think about!”
‘I’ve quit my job!’ – Arum Nixon, 34, Sydney
Once he hangs up his MasterChef apron, Arum Nixon hopes to forge a career in the food industry.
So much so, the Sydney advertising media buyer admits he quit his office job halfway through the competition.
“When you’re in your mid-30s you don’t get those opportunities to just hand in your notice on your job and leave work and start something completely unrelated,” Arum says. “It’s definitely terrifying, but also exciting because it’s such an amazing opportunity.”
Arum adds his end goal is to run a country pub.
“In the short-term I’d like to do something on a smaller scale – maybe a café,” he says.
‘I can win!’ – Ben Ungermann, 32, Brisbane
Being surrounded by other outstanding cooks made Ben Ungermann unsettled in the early stages of the cooking competition.
“I was really out of my depth,” he admits. “I felt like I was one of the weakest cooks.”
Yet Ben didn’t let the self-doubt detract him from fighting for his place in the competition.
“I’ve improved heaps,” he smiles. “I feel like there’s been a lot of hard work to get where I am.”
The Queensland father-of-three is now determined to be standing in the Grand Final.
“Winning would mean everything to me,” he says.
Back for more – Tamara Graffen, 28, Broome
It’s been a rocky roller-coaster journey for Tamara Graffen to get to the finals.
Having been eliminated from the competition and then returned, the engineering officer from Broome is feeling confident about going all the way to the end.
“It just means so much to me,” Tamara says.
It wasn’t always that way, though.
Tamara admits she only learnt to cook when she was 19, and she was doubtful about applying to the show.
“I never thought I was good enough,” she adds.
But having made it so far through the competition, Tamara has now resigned from her job to focus on her new career.
“My family definitely question that I’ve got a successful career already,” she says. “But they know I’m so passionate about food and they will support me in whatever I do.”
Time of her life – Sarah Tiong, 25, Sydney
Quiet achiever Sarah Tiong has had plenty of standout moments in the MasterChef kitchen.
Yet she admits it was hard to overcome her nerves and emotions at times during the competition.
“It was quite intimidating,” Sarah says. “You would see what other people were cooking and the techniques and you’d start to think, ‘Is what I love doing enough to get me through the competition?’”
It turns out her skills have certainly been enough.
“It’s been a phenomenal experience,” she smiles.
Although living in a house with a bunch of strangers did have its moments!
“People do go a little bit stir crazy and you have to find ways to entertain yourself,” Sarah reveals of the living situation.
“But it’s been good, nobody holds grudges and everyone learnt how to deal.”
